We sat down with our friend Ashley, of Irish Roots Witchin Remedies, an Austin-based shop of handcrafted botanical concotions for Wellness, Harmony, and Balance. I met Ashley through Instagram and loved the inspiration that I got from seeing her living out her passion for plant medicine. I asked Ashley if she would share some words of wisdom on what she does and what inspires her to follow her dreams.

When people ask me what I do, it is a simple response. I practice within the healing arts that connects us to nature, wellness, balance, and sacred space.

Nature in fact, has everything we need. She offers her medicine of nourishment and solitude, two essentials to mind and body balance. She encourages us to recognize her gifts of plants, flowers, leaves, roots, trees, seeds, rhizomes, seaweeds, fresh air and sacred energies. She offers her beauty, grace, and tools for incorporating healing rituals within our everyday life. With this, we are rewarded with the gift of putting our hands to work with one of the most heart-stirring crafts, creating herbal medicine; also known as the people's medicine.

Practicing herbalism is an artful craft that requires patience, compassion, activism and mindfulness, passions that I am naturally drawn to. So it is no surprise I connected so deeply with this art. I think it is pretty safe to say it is almost like having a profound love affair with nature, constantly craving more wisdom and a deeper connection to it's electric energy. Practicing and making herbal medicine is an exhilarating passion and journey! There is nothing as empowering as creating your own plant based concoction to nourish your body. When one realizes they have the ability to heal themselves and then share that with others, it is truly a beautiful awareness. Not only are you nourishing your body and others with delicious plant love, you are also putting your creative self expression to use while tapping into the real magical offerings of Mother Nature.

To create a sacred space and nurture your inner creative nature is what makes crafting herbal medicine so fun and unique. It is a mind / body / spirit waltz that leaves you elated and inspired. It is a special, transformative meditation that allows you to slow down and create a very meaningful relationship to our plant allies. I am sure anyone who has welcomed this craft into their life can attest to the aliveness one feels with their hands and heart while delicately harvesting, garbling, decanting, and then bottling a handcrafted medicinal potion. And that really is healing all in it's own. The herbal arts also has a very special way of honoring and reconnecting us to our ancestors and our roots, while recognizing our birth-rite to carry on these wonderful traditions. It truly is a gift that continuously gives. We all have the skills to welcome Mother Nature's medicine and nourishment into our lives; for the plants are our food, friends, medicine and teachers!

As my green path of an aspiring herbalist continues, I know without a doubt my hands and heart are committed to forever deepening my connection with the plants, herbal knowledge and earth wisdom. I am very grateful to our teachers, both plant and human on all levels. I cherish their knowledge and wisdom they so graciously share. By continuing to immerse myself in the world of herbalism, I foresee a life fulfilled with good company, wholeness and gratitude.